Contact-carrying inserts of some electrical connectors are typically secured in their housing members by use of snap rings or pins. The insert that is secured in a housing member via a snap ring is oriented in the housing member by an orienting arrangement between the insert and the housing member against a stop surface and the snap ring is snapped into an inside annular groove in the housing member securing the insert therein. Pins are then used to secure the other contact-carrying insert in the other housing member, but the other insert has to be secured in the other housing member in such an angular orientation relative to the other housing member so as to correspond to the angular orientation of the first-mentioned insert relative to its housing member so that the polarizing arrangement therebetween is properly aligned for matable engagement thereof.
Such an arrangement has proven to be satisfactory, but use of snap rings and pins requires extra parts, requires machining a groove in the housing member in which the snap ring is to be disposed, constitutes a problem in inserting the snap ring in its groove, and requires properly orienting the other insert in the other housing member prior to securing the pins therein so that coincidence of orientation between the matable inserts and housing members takes place to assure matable engagement therebetween.